British Open Snooker: Start date, times, how to watch, format and much more

The 2024 staging of the British Open will be the fourth edition of the competition since it was reinstated into the WST annual calendar as a ranking event.

The competition is set to take place in Cheltenham and will run from Monday 23rd September until the final on Sunday 29th September.

Here is everything you need to know about the latest staging of the British Open.

British Open (Snooker) - Dates

The 2024 British Open will get underway on Monday 23rd September, with the final taking place on Sunday 29th September, 2024.

British Open (Snooker) - Times

As with most snooker tournaments, matches at the British Open will be played throughout the day and can sometimes involve a late night finish.

Typically matches get underway across three sessions, with 10:00, 13:00 and 19:00 being confirmed as start times for the earlier rounds of the competition. 

British Open (Snooker) - Venue

The 2024 British Open will be held at Cheltenham Racecourse, with the Centaur building playing host to the event for a second successive year.

Since the competition made its return in 2021, the Morningside Arena in Leicester and Milton Keynes' Marshall Arena have also both played host.

British Open (Snooker) - How to watch & TV channel

Selected matches at the British Open can be viewed via the bet365 live sports streaming service.

ITV will also be showing the action, with matches being broadcast live on ITV4 and their online streaming platform ITVX, with highlights packages also available each night.

British Open (Snooker) - Previous winners

The British Open was previously a staple in the WST annual calendar with the legendary Steve Davis boasting the best record in the event, having collected five titles.

His tournament tally betters that of Scottish stars Stephen Hendry and John Higgins, both of whom have triumphed on four occasions, with defending champion Mark Williams amongst the chasing pack with three successes.

The maiden event took place in 1980 where Alex Higgins overcame Ray Reardon 5-1 in the showpiece final in Derby, with the competition taking place every year from then until 2004.

Higgins' victory over Stephen Maguire in the final that year proved to be the last time the competition would be played until it was re-introduced by the WST in 2021, where Williams beat Gary Wilson 6-4 to land the second of his three crowns.

British Open (Snooker) - Format

Sixty-four players from the World Snooker Tour enter the main draw following a single qualifying round.

Qualifying matches were played over a best-of-seven format, the same format that will be played up until the quarter-finals.

At that stage, matches will be played over nine frames, with the player reaching five first advancing to the semi-finals, which will be best-of-11.

The final will jump to a best-of-19 format, and played over two sessions - in the afternoon and evening.

British Open (Snooker) - Trophy

Since it's reformation in 2021, the tournament's trophy has been rebranded as the Clive Everton trophy - named in honour of the renowned and much-loved snooker journalist, commentator and broadcaster.

British Open (Snooker) - Prize Money

The winner of the British Open scoop a cheque of £100,000 with the runner-up taking home £45,000.

Reaching the last 64 itself was worth £3,000, while there is also a high break pot of £5,000.

In total, £502,000 is on offer to the 64 players who compete in Cheltenham, £24,000 more than was offer in 2023.

British Open (Snooker) full prize money list:

Winner:	£100,000
Runner-Up:	£45,000
Semi-Finals:	£20,000
Quarter-Finals:	£12,000
Last 16:	£9,000
Last 32:	£6,000
Last 64:	£3,000
High break:	£5,000
Total:	£502,000